Musical Delhi

If you still can’t associate today’s youth with age old Hindustani classical music, then it’s time to think again. These young talents from Gargi College have not just mastered the art but are also trying to give it a new aspe.The music of India is one of the oldest unbroken musical traditions in the world. The extreme cultural diversities of our country create endless folk, regional and classical varieties. The very rich legacy of the traditional music is still kept alive in schools, colleges etc. Delhi University produces most gifted and awe-inspiring singers, year after year. Samranjini, the Indian Music society of Gargi College, too, has some commendable singers, which makes this society one of the best in DU.This society was formed in the year 2000, and the name Samaranjini was cohesively decided upon, the word coined from a raga in Samveda. The society currently has 10 members, and more will be auditioned in the second week of college. The society holds two rounds of auditions. In the first round, from 50 to 60 people, 25 are shortlisted, which are further short-listed down to six or seven people. "We are not necessarily looking for people who are only classically trained. Everyone is welcome to audition. We select people if they show potential to learn, even if they miss a beat here and note there," says Madhumita Ramakrishna, acting conveyor of IMS (Indian Music Society). The college pays the professionals who play the tabla or other instruments during competitions, for the society, but that apart, the members fund themselves. Samaranjini, being a flexible music society, sings all genres of music, from Sufi, to folk, classical, patriotic, etc. Although they do not do any self-compositions per se, they do add a bit of their own style to the songs and make them their own.Samranjini witnessed a very successful last year. They won solo at Lady Shri Ram College, Kamla Nehru College, Lady Irwin College, Venkateshwara and Gargi. In the group performance category Samaranjini won at colleges like Kamla Nehru, Lady Irwin College, Venkateshwara and Gargi. "Samranjini has its own charm and appeals to everyone. Through this society, we as a team have learnt a lot and have gotten a lot of exposure. Thanks to IMS I feel I have emerged as a person as well," says Madhumita. Indeed it has been great going so far for ’Samaranjini’. Let’s hope it witnesses many such successful years and continues to be one of the best known music societies in the DU and beyond.Such Indian Music societies help propagate and keep the essential Indian culture alive and also help students to explore different styles of musical production between North and South. Music as the experts say is like food. When you need it you don’t have to explain why, because it is the basic to life.